U.S. needs Egypt for access to Mideast

Country's cooperation called critical in face of Pentagon budget cuts

1:05 AM,
Aug. 18, 2013

Chuck Hagel

Written by

Jim Michaels
| USA Today

The U.S. military is heavily dependent on Egypt to move personnel and equipment to Afghanistan and around volatile parts of the Middle East, complicating U.S. efforts to place pressure on the Egyptian military in the wake of its violent crackdown on protesters.

"Egypt has been a cornerstone for the U.S. military presence in the Middle East," said James Phillips, an analyst at the Heritage Foundation.

During the past year, more than 2,000 U.S. military aircraft flew through Egyptian airspace, supporting missions in Afghanistan and throughout the Middle East, according to U.S. Central ...